The use of natural products, including proteins, is a well known method of controlling many insect pests. For example, endotoxins of Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) are used to control both lepidopteran and coleopteran insect pests. Genes producing these endotoxins have been introduced into and expressed by various plants, including cotton, tobacco, and tomato, and have been introduced into and expressed by various plant-colonizing microorganisms. Publications describing means for transforming such microorganisms with genes encoding and able to express B.t. proteins in such microorganisms include Obukowicz et al., 1986 (J. Bacteriol. 168: 982-989), Obukowicz et al., 1986 (Gene 45: 327-331), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,112, Obukowicz et al., issued Jul. 20, 1993. Other publications describing the transformation of various bacteria with genes encoding insecticidally active proteins include U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,840, issued Jul. 10, 1990 by Suslow, T. V. and Jones, J. D. G. and PCT Publication Number WO 95/02058, published on 19 January 1995.
There are, however, several economically important insect pests that are not susceptible to B.t. endotoxins. One such important pest is the cotton boll weevil. There is also a need for additional proteins which control insects for which B.t. provides control in order to manage any development of resistance in the population.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide proteins capable of controlling insects, such as boll weevil and lepidopterans, and genes useful in producing such proteins. It is a further object of the present invention to provide genetic constructs for and methods of inserting such genetic material into microorganisms. It is another object of the present invention to provide transformed microorganisms containing such genetic material.